Gym workout tips for beginners — GoPlayr’s Top 7
It does not matter if you have been working out for 2 weeks or 2 decades, you might probably be making mistakes that might be preventing you from achieving your desired results.
Here are GoPlayr’s top 7 tips to achieve that next level workout:
- Fail to plan, is plan to fail
Plan you day and your workout. You are only going to improve only when you do better than yesterday and for that to happen you would need will have to plan your day and your workout. So, chalk out a plan for yourself that is measurable and write it down. “I want to look like Achilles from Troy” is not a quantifiable plan. If you trying to lose weight then write something like “I will lose 5 Kgs in one month” or “I will reduce my waist size by 4 inches in a month”.
(Thank us later for this tip)
2. Start from the basics
Do you ever hear kindergarten teacher handing out novels to toddlers? No, right? They start with basics like alphabets, number and colours etc. They do the same when you land your first job. They start with basic and periodically ramp up your work.
Apply the same analogy when enter the gym. Stay away from the fancy machines that you see and focus on basics which will work out pretty much every muscle in your body, setting you up to be strong and injury free.
List of Basic exercises to engage multiple body parts:
Leg exercises — Squats, Lunges or Deadlifts
Push Exercises — Bench Press, Dips or Push ups
Pull Exercises — Chin ups, Pull ups or Inverted Rows
Core Exercises — Hanging Knee Raises or Planks
3. Break records ( Be a slave to numbers )
Keep a track of what you did yesterday (mentally or by using an app) and apply your basic video game rule here. You go to next level only when you beat the boss. Let others run 10KM on thread mill like a maniac, let that bulky guy lift and scream. Pay no attention because you are not competing with them. Focus only on breaking your yesterday’s performance. Your last workout is your Boss that you need to defeat. No more dwelling on this point. I’ll leave it at this.
4. Follow 70 30 rule
70% of changes that you want in your body will come from changes that you made in your diet, rest 30% comes from your workout. In layman terms, eat as per the plan you laid down in point 1. Your diet must complement your workout and must go hand in hand. If you are trying to put on mass, your diet must be calorie rich. Opposite if you are trying to shed few points.
Take help of nutritionist for planning your diet to maximise your results.
5. Good Night Rest
Your body is nothing but a machine and all machine need to cool down periodically. So does your body. Get a good 7–8 hour night sleep every day. Irregular or insufficient sleep will result in decreased performance and muscle soreness. This brings us back to point 1, plan. Plan not just your workout but also your day to ensure you get enough sleep.
6. Workout everyday ( break only on Sunday )
No Upper body/ Lower body day, No leg day followed by rest and all that confusing crap. Those versions of exercises are for people who have specific chalked out plans. Their plans might not necessarily fit you. Your target is to get the basics correct (point 1). You go in each day with mind and heart set to break your record (point 2). Walk in — Break Record — walk out. Period.
Decide one day as rest day and use this day to relax and recover for the next week.
7. Ask questions
Go by a standard thumb rule — “no question is stupid”. Not sure how to squat? Ask. Not sure what to eat? Ask. You have a smartphone, Google is your friend, need we say more? Ask and get your doubts clarified through a coach or online. It helps you understand your workout and your body better.
write to us at hello@goplayr.com or follow us @goplayr
